First roll the diabolo to get it spinning, then lift it, and finally pull firmly with your
hand.

The diabolo is best described as juggling with a Yo-yo.
To get started you need to understand that the diabolo only ever spins in
one direction (
). Also the faster the diabolo spins, the more stable it will
be.

To begin;

Your hand sticks should usually point straight forward, but we've turned them sideways in our animations, so you can see the wrist motions.

Place the diabolo on the string, and set it on the ground a little to the
of your foot.

Take the slack out of the string, and point your stick down. Most of the string should be on the side of the diabolo.

Without raising your hand, roll the top across the ground towards the side of your body.

Gently lift both arms so the diabolo is in front of your knees.

Now that the top is spinning, pull your hand up briskly to make the diabolo spin faster. Make sure that you pass lots of string over the axle, not just a few inches.

Slowly drop your hand, and raise your to take the slack out of the string. This is done without a lot of force, so it doesn't slow the diabolo's spin down.

Repeat the last two points over and over, making sure that your hand does all the strong pulls, while your just takes the slack out of the string.

The diabolo should spin in one place just in front of your knees, without swinging from side to side, or bouncing.